


A Matter Of Time

by kiyala



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Familiars, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 03:03:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6782704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tetsurou loves magic. He loves showing off the newest things he's learned, he likes challenging himself, and he loves the way it connects him to his surroundings. Kenma really doesn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Matter Of Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Faiyuuhi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faiyuuhi/gifts).



> A belated birthday fic for the lovely [Fai](http://faiyuuhi.tumblr.com/), who I adore.

Kenma is nine years old, and there's a strange cat sitting on the path just outside of his house.

It's small and black, perhaps more of a kitten, and Kenma has never seen it before in his life. He thinks he knows what that means, but there's nobody around when he looks. He frowns, but the cat doesn't make any indication of moving any time soon. The sun is probably warm, and it looks comfortable where it is.

With a deep breath, Kenma walks outside, the path warm under his bare feet, and stops a short distance from the cat. He crouches down, hands resting on top of his knees, and watches.

(He's told that he does that a lot―watching. Quieter than most children his age, eyes wide as he silently observes everything around him, unnerving other children and adults alike, from what he hears muttered behind his back, because people assume that just because Kenma isn't looking at them, he isn't paying attention. 

At nine years of age, Kenma is already learning to avert his eyes when people look at him, because staring at them doesn't seem to go very well.)

The cat doesn't move at first, but Kenma is patient. He stays where he is, watching it, not feeling that he has to avert his eyes, the way he does with people. Besides, Kenma thinks, the sun is warm, it's a quiet morning, and there's nobody else around. He's just as happy to be here as the cat is. 

Eventually, it stands up. Kenma immediately becomes more alert, watching it carefully as it pads closer, yellow eyes fixed on him, whiskers twitching. It doesn't even flinch when he holds a hand out in front of him, but just keeps walking. 

"Um," he says quietly, as it gently headbutts his hand, rubbing against it. "Hi."

"Hi," the cat says back, and Kenma nearly falls backwards in shock.

Kenma hears a giggle from a nearby bush. He turns in the direction of the sound, his face flushing red, as the giggles turn loud and raucous. 

"Tetsurou," he huffs, because Kenma would recognise that braying laugh anywhere. "It's not funny."

"It's _totally_ funny!" Tetsurou insists, as he gets to his feet, covered in leaves because apparently he decided to hide inside the bush, instead of just hiding behind it. Kenma sighs, looking away from his friend when he feels the cat nuzzle against his hand again.

"This was Tetsurou's idea," the cat tells Kenma. "He wanted to show off."

"He always wants to show off," Kenma mutters, rubbing his fingers over the soft fur on top of the cat's head. "So, you got a familiar." 

Tetsurou, ten years old and Kenma's best friend in the entire world, grins so wide that his eyes crinkle. Kenma can't help the proud smile that tugs at his own lips, even as he habitually averts his gaze.

"Her name's Jet."

"Jet?" Kenma asks, as the cat begins to purr.

"You know, like _jet black_ ," Tetsurou explains, pronouncing the English words carefully. "Apparently it's like the blackest kind of black. And my familiar's black, and there's the kanji for black in my family name, so—"

"You're embarrassing," Kenma says softly, and he's never heard a cat laugh before, but Jet is definitely laughing now. 

"You'll probably get your familiar soon too," Tetsurou tells him, crouching down beside Kenma, patting his head the way Kenma is patting Jet. "I hope you get a cat too. I bet our familiars will be best friends. Just like us. That would be so cool."

Familiars are seen, to the majority of the magical world, as a sign that someone's abilities are ready to begin developing in earnest. Kenma knows, from the children's encyclopaedia that sits on his bookshelf, that familiars are a little more complicated than that. 

They're a physical manifestation of someone's own abilities, a way to focus their magic a little better. It doesn't happen to everyone, but it's common enough that someone getting their familiar is seen as a coming of age.

Tetsurou loves magic. He loves showing off the newest things he's learned, he likes challenging himself, and he loves the way it connects him to his surroundings.

Kenma really doesn't. He's been told from a young age that he's incredibly talented at magic, but that doesn't make it any more enjoyable for him. Perhaps he doesn't like it for the same reasons that Tetsurou _does_ ; using magic links him to the world around him and it's far too much sensory input for his liking. It's exhausting, trying to focus on the purpose of his spell—the shape and feel and taste of it—while taking everything else in as well. 

He's not even sure that he _wants_ a familiar, because he knows that it will come with an inevitable increase in magic, and he knows for certain that he doesn't want that. 

He doesn't give voice to any of that, even though he can feel Jet's eyes on him the entire time. Instead, he just clears his throat and gives Tetsurou a feeble, "Yeah. I guess so."

Kenma isn't sure whether Tetsurou picks up on his reluctance, but he can tell that Jet knows, and it's enough to make him uncomfortable. He avoids looking at the cat, folding his arms over his knees and resting his chin on them. 

Tetsurou walks over, stroking his fingers through Kenma's short black hair in an affectionate gesture that has long since become familiar. "Come on. Let's go inside. I've done my showing off for the day, so it's your turn. Show me the game you got yesterday."

It's a clumsy and obvious change of subject, but Kenma appreciates it all the same, taking the hand that Tetsurou offers him. He pulls himself to his feet, smiling as he tugs a little too hard, making Tetsurou lose his balance, and leads the way inside. He doesn't even protest when Jet follows them too.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kenma's tenth birthday comes and goes without the appearance of a familiar. He's relieved when his eleventh birthday passes in much the same way.

His classmates delight in reminding him of this fact at every available opportunity, like it's something to be embarrassed about. Kenma doesn't really care. He replies to their mocking laughter with silence and takes satisfaction in the way his technical knowledge of spells outweighs anything that his peers can manage, with or without a familiar channeling their magic.

He spends a lot of his time watching Tetsurou and Jet learn new spells, adding his knowledge to their experience until they succeed. It's satisfying, without the exhaustion that comes with actually doing magic himself, and Kenma decides that he can live with this. It's easy to help Tetsurou anyway, because he's already so clever on his own, and Kenma always feels a little more relaxed around him than he does with anyone else. Lately, he's started feeling that way with Jet too, and he supposes that it makes sense. After all, Jet is just an extension of Tetsurou.

It's a good arrangement, right up until the point when Tetsurou graduates and starts attending high school, and Kenma is on his own.

Without Tetsurou, the teasing suddenly feels much worse and the frustrating thing is that Kenma can't tell if it's because Tetsurou used to scare the others off without Kenma realising, or if it's just because things feel that much lonelier without him around. 

The first time Kenma uses an invisibility spell, it happens without any real thought. He just wants to get away from everyone and his magic does the rest, hiding him for effectively that his footsteps don't even make a sound, and nobody notices as he leaves the room and walks out of the school altogether, going to the park near his house and sitting under the big tree in the middle, opening up a game on his phone.

It's exhausting afterwards, but as Kenma rubs his temples to relieve the growing headache, he supposes that it's not actually as exhausting as dealing with people. Given a choice between the two, he knows he would go with using the invisibility spell as often as possible.

He's careful about using it, though, because he doesn't want anyone to catch on. He keeps to himself at school and slips away during breaks, silent and invisible as he walks right past the classmates looking for him. The problem is, it quickly grows addictive. It's an easy way to avoid the things he doesn't want to deal with and he'll turn himself invisible at home too, in order to escape chores he doesn't like, or to stay up late to play games without getting caught. His parents' magic can't reverse his spell and their familiars can't find him; not his mother's sparrow or his father's moth. Kenma is confident in the strength of his spell, certain that nobody can find him if he doesn't want to.

He's proven wrong sometime towards the end of the school year. He's in a bad mood, with too much work to do and not enough patience for his classmates' teasing. He's the only one in the class not to have a familiar by now, and he's constantly being teased that at this rate, he isn't going to pass their magic final. He tries to block it out at first by just ignoring them, but he quickly finds that it doesn't work. 

He turns himself invisible just before lunch time, altering the spell so that his teacher can still hear his voice when he answers her questions, because not even her magic can make him visible again. He uses the spell all day and by the time he gets home, he's too angry to feel tired from using too much magic. His mother can hear him just fine when he tells her that he's planning on staying invisible for a while longer and she sighs, telling him that it isn't a solution to his problem, but to let her know when he's ready to be visible again. 

Kenma goes to the backyard, sitting on the bench by the back fence to sulk. He looks up when he sees Jet climbing over the fence, but doesn't expect for her to walk over to him, crawling into his lap and settling there.

"What are you doing here?" Kenma asks with surprise. "How did you find me?"

"I can leave you alone, if that's what you really want," she replies.

"But what are you doing here?" Kenma asks again.

"Tetsurou is worried about you," Jet explains. "He was ready to search the entire neighbourhood for you, in case you were hiding somewhere more elaborate. He's blaming himself for the fact that you're getting picked on by your classmates."

"He's an idiot," Kenma sighs, and Jet laughs.

"He is. But he's also worried about you. Can I tell him that I've found you?"

Kenma nods. "Yeah. Okay."

Jet nuzzles against Kenma briefly before she leaves, climbing over the fence again. With a quiet sigh, Kenma drops his invisibility spell as Tetsurou climbs over the fence this time, instead of just using the door.

"There you are," Tetsurou says, trying to sound casual, and not like he's short of breath. Tetsurou is the most athletic person that Kenma knows. It makes Kenma wonder just how much time Tetsurou has already spent looking for him.

"Jet found me," Kenma mumbles, as Tetsurou sits down beside him, their sides pressed against each other. "I didn't think anyone could find me."

"Jet knows what your magic feels like," Tetsurou murmurs with a mile, wrapping his arm around Kenma's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Kenma sighs, leaning against Tetsurou.

"Can I maybe knock some heads together?" Tetsurou asks hopefully. "Or try out this nasty little hex I happened to learn recently?"

Kenma laughs softly, elbowing Tetsurou. " _No_."

"I want to do _something_ , Kenma," Tetsurou sighs, his voice full of frustration and self-blame.

"Shut up," Kenma mutters, resting his head on Tetsurou's shoulder. "This is enough."

The tension in Tetsurou's body says that he doesn't agree, but he doesn't put that into words. Instead, he shuffles a bit closer, resting his head on top of Kenma's. 

They sit in silence for a long time, with Jet curled up on the grass beside them. Eventually, Tetsurou draws a deep breath and lifts his hand in front of them. Kenma watches in quiet wonder as Tetsurou conjures sparkling silver shapes that dance in the night air, turning into birds, into snowflakes, into fractals that are calming as they repeat into infinity. Kenma doesn't even realise just how much he's relaxed until Tetsurou hums softly, sounding pleased.

"Do you feel like moving inside now?" Tetsurou asks. "It'll be warmer."

"Yeah," Kenma nods, getting to his feet and holding out a hand for Tetsurou.

Kenma's parents look relieved when they see him walk through the door. He doesn't miss the grateful smiles they send in Tetsurou's direction, but he doesn't really mind. He's glad that of all people, it's Tetsurou who knows him well enough to pull him out of these moods. He's glad that other people know this too.

They walk to Kenma's room and it's not until they're sitting down that he realises they're still holding hands. Kenma doesn't really mind that, either.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kenma passes at the top of his class for all of his subjects, including magic, even without a familiar. Tetsurou claps him on the shoulder and says that he might not be surprised about it, but he's proud all the same. It leaves Kenma struggling to bite back his smile, a warm flush spreading across his cheeks. Tetsurou must catch it, judging by the grin tugging at his lips, but he doesn't say anything, just strokes his fingers through Kenma's hair.

He applies for the same school as Tetsurou and with his exam results, he gets in easily. Tetsurou is probably the most excited about this, talking about how it's going to be like middle school all over again, and Kenma isn't quite convinced that it'll feel the same, but he goes with it anyway, because it can be hard not to when Tetsurou is excited and enthusiastic about something like this.

The weekend before Kenma starts high school, he wakes up to find a small cat standing on his chest.

"Oh," he says softly, and the cat watches him silently, stepping back so that Kenma can sit up. Kenma rubs his eyes sleepily, but when he looks down, the cat is still there. He sighs quietly. "Are you my familiar?"

The cat, orange and white, just blinks up at him. Kenma already knows the answer anyway, so he just nods to himself and gets out of bed. The cat follows him as he gets ready for the day, and it's at his heel as he goes downstairs for breakfast

His father, sitting at the dining table, is the first to notice. He makes a soft sound of surprise, which then draws his mother's attention too. Kenma ducks his head, feeling a little embarrassed when they both stop what they're doing to take a better look at the kitten standing beside him.

"Is that…?" Kenma's mother begins, already smiling.

Kenma just nods in reply, letting her pull him into a tight hug. He's never really thought of familiars as such a big deal but he understands why others do. He knows that half of his parents' happiness comes out of relief and honestly, he's glad that he won't stand out as much any more for being the only one without a familiar.

"Have you named it yet?" Kenma's father asks, and Kenma knows the importance behind this, too. He knows that naming a familiar is to accept it as part of himself. He knows that familiars don't start to speak, and don't even stay around permanently, unless they have names.

Most people already have a name picked out for their potential familiar long before it ever shows up. Kenma, for all that he's never really hoped for a familiar, can't deny the fact that he's done this too. It's far too easy to be caught up in what-ifs, even for things he's not all that invested in. He crouches down, holding his hand out, and smiles when the cat rubs against his open palm with a soft purr.

"Pi," he decides, and the cat purrs even louder.

"I like that name," Pi says, in a soft, deep voice. "Pi. Good choice."

Kenma smiles, looking away and getting to his feet. 

"Are you going to introduce Pi to Tetsurou?" Kenma's mother asks. "I know that he'll be very excited for the both of you."

"Who is Tetsurou?" Pi asks curiously, and Kenma hums, walking into the kitchen to make himself some toast.

"You can meet him after I eat," Kenma says. "Do you want anything?"

"I don't have to eat," Pi says, blinking as Kenma spreads strawberry jam across his toast. "I'm made of magic."

"But you can still taste things anyway," Kenma hums, biting into his toast. "You can have my crust, if you want."

"No, Pi can't," Kenma's mother speaks up without missing a beat. "Eat your crust, Kenma."

With a sigh, Kenma does. He sneaks a small piece covered in jam to Pi anyway when his mother's not looking, watching as the cat licks it cautiously at first and then again, with much more enthusiasm.

"Come on," Kenma says, after he's washed his plate, leading the way outside. "Follow me."

It's a warm day, with a gentle breeze. Kenma walk down his path, past the gate, and turns to open Tetsurou's gate.

"Oh, your neighbour?" Pi asks, following at Kenma's heels. "They have a familiar too. I can sense it."

Kenma wonders if that means Jet will be able to sense Pi in return. He's surprised to find that what he really wants is to surprise Tetsurou. It would be nice to see the surprise on his face, Kenma thinks. Maybe it would be just as embarrassing as his parents' reaction, but Kenma finds himself thinking that perhaps he wouldn't really mind all that much.

"Kenma?" Tetsurou opens the door before Kenma can even knock. "Jet told me that you were coming over with a surprise— _oh_."

Kenma smiles fondly, because of course Tetsurou wouldn't even be able to wait to be surprised. He watches as Tetsurou's eyes go wide and he crouches down, holding a hand out towards Pi.

"Hey little one, what's your name?"

"This is Pi," Kenma introduces, watching as Pi nuzzles against Tetsurou's hand. "And this is Tetsurou."

Tetsurou lifts Pi in both hands, smiling widely. "This is amazing. I always hoped you'd get a cat too. Pi, though. You nerd."

"You're a nerd," Kenma retorts, following Tetsurou inside. 

"I'm happy for you," Tetsurou murmurs, as they go to his room. "I'm really, really happy for you."

Kenma nods. "Thanks."

"You're here," Jet greets, from where she's curled up on Tetsurou's bed. "Congrats Kenma. What's his name?"

"Pi," Tetsurou answers. "Suits him, right? Suits them both."

Pi and Jet settle beside each other, talking to each other, and Tetsurou grins, pulling Kenma into his arms and hugging him tightly.

"It's not such a big deal," Kenma mumbles against Tetsurou's chest. 

"Still happy for you," Tetsurou replies, resting his chin on top of Kenma's head. 

"Are they dating?" Pi speaks up, and Tetsurou immediately tenses up. 

Kenma curl his fingers in Tetsurou's shirt before he can move away, though, holding him right where he is. 

"I'm not sure," Jet replies calmly, and Kenma knows her well enough to hear the smile in her voice. "I know that Tetsurou's had a crush for years, though."

"Worst familiar ever," Tetsurou mutters, pulling gently against Kenma's grip. "Can you let me go so I can just die in peace?"

"We're not dating," Kenma replies, his words a little muffled against Tetsurou's chest, but he knows that they're loud enough to be heard anyway. "But we could be, maybe. I wouldn't mind that."

"You _wouldn't mind_ ," Tetsurou says, sounding a little choked. "Three years, Kenma, and you wouldn't mind dating me. This isn't how I imagined this conversation would go. But then again, I didn't imagine we'd be having it because of meddling familiars, either." 

Kenma huffs softly, looking up at Tetsurou with a smile. "That's why we never let you come up with any plans. They never work out. You should know that by now." 

"My heart can't take this," Tetsurou says seriously. "You can't tease me like this, I might actually die. Do you like me?"

"I just said I wouldn't mind dating you," Kenma replies. "You're clever enough to figure that one out on your own."

"You should help me out anyway."

With a quiet huff of amusement, Kenma grabs the front of Tetsurou's shirt, pulling him down to peck him on the lips. "There. Is that enough?" 

"Again?" Tetsurou asks, and perhaps he means to be smooth about it, but it ends up coming out as a croak. Kenma can't help his small grin as he pulls Tetsurou down again, kissing him for longer this time. 

"One more time," Tetsurou rasps out. "Just to be sure?"

Laughing, Kenma kisses him again, and again, and again.


End file.
